The worst Christmas album covers ever: part 1

A gallery of seasonal sleeves that will sleigh your eyes

The ghosts of Christmas (albums) past...

We return to the worst Xmas album covers ever

As this slightly unsettling shot from John Travolta and Olivia Newton John's 2012 festive collection shows, when it comes to selecting covers for their Christmas albums, music stars frequently demonstrate an amusing lack of judgement.

So let's delve back in to part one of MusicRadar's guide to the Worst Xmas Albums Covers Ever. Today, we'll give you a rundown of the mad, the bad, the nutso and the probably-worth-sixty-bucks-on-eBay-but-just-look-at-the-thing.

Anyway, have fun, stick the Star Wars one on your Xmas list, and we'll see you next week for part two. Over to our first entry…

Carol Channing - The Year Without A Santa Claus

A husky-throated spoken word special from theatre vet Channing, reading the headlining Phyllis McGinley’s novella along with other festive classics.

As if the desperate ‘Hug mommy!’ artwork wasn’t disturbing enough, six years later McGinley’s book would become a terrifying Rankin/Bass animation starring Mickey Rooney (who’s still not dead. Wait, better check. Yeah, still going).